“I could not speak at a conference that is devoted in part to religious freedom, at an institution that seemed to be denying that freedom to its own students,” says UC Santa Barbara scholar Mark Juergensmeyer.

In a university that prides itself on its visible support for religious freedom, it’s ironic that its own students are not religiously free. It’s also unfortunate that something called an “Honor Code” implicitly encourages students who doubt their Mormon faith to lie about that fact in order to maintain their degree program, housing, and employment.

(RNS) Students do not have to be Mormon to attend the Provo university, but those who enter as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and later leave the faith face expulsion from BYU.

Three stories in this week’s Mormon news: Friend says that accused killer Jodi Arias is being blamed for a murder that was actually a blood-atonement conspiracy by the LDS Church. Uh huh. In happier news, the LDS Church has unveiled exciting changes to its Scripture apparatus, and thousands of new missionaries are expected to begin serving around the world.

SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) After years of tension between Mormons and gay rights activists — with political action and theological pronouncements on one side, protests and pain on the other — the gulf between the two groups has begun to narrow. By Peggy Fletcher Stack.

2012 might be dubbed the Year of YouTube – and that’s especially true on the religion beat. Religious videos sparked international riots, stirred up the U.S. presidential campaign and called young believers to the front lines in battles over homosexuality and church culture. Here are seven religious videos that made news in 2012.